Positive ANA

[baeb12]

I am 29 years old. I have been experience severe pain in my lower back on right side and it radiates to my groin and sometimes have tingling in my foot. It usually lasts for about a week and then disappears. Each time it has gotten worse. I have recently had a blood test that returned ANA 1:2560 speckled pattern and also borderline iron deficiency. I am waiting on the results of more blood tests now.  I have a family history of hemochromatosis and my father has chorioretinopathy and his sister has rheumatoid arthritis. Is there any chance that I do not have an autoimmune disorder?

[baeb12]

Thank you for your help.  I also have endometriosis. Is it possible that the endometriosis could have caused the positive ana?  I probably just have to wait for my other blood test results but I am a little bit anxious.

[Red_Star]

Excerpts from The Rheumatologist - Know Your Labs

"The presence of high concentrations of antibody (titer >1:640) should make one suspicious that an autoimmune disorder is present. In this scenario, I recommend that sera be then tested for antibodies to dsDNA, Sm, RNP, Ro (SS-A), La (SS-B), and perhaps Scl-70. The presence of antibodies to any of these greatly increases the likelihood that the patient has SLE, MCTD, Sjögren’s, or scleroderma."

TABLE 1: SENSITIVITY OF THE ANA IN AUTOIMMUNE AND NONRHEUMATIC DISEASE

Autoimmune Disease

SLE: 95–100%
Scleroderma: 60–80%
Mixed connective tissue disease: 100%
Polymyositis/dermatomyositis: 61%
Rheumatoid arthritis: 52%
Rheumatoid vasculitis: 30–50%
Sjögren's syndrome: 40–70%
Drug-induced lupus: 100%
Discoid lupus: 15%
Pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis: 71%

Nonrheumatic Disease

Hashimoto's thyroiditis: 46%
Graves' disease: 50%
Autoimmune hepatitis: 100%
Primary autoimmune cholangitis: 100%
Primary pulmonary hypertension: 40%"